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read ear slider

22 16:39:59

Question
QUESTION: my sliders pretty old but he has puffy eyes sometimes the are swollen shut. he walks around my room and when he comes out i put him in his tank is that bad? and how do i help with his eyes?
ANSWER: Puffy eyes are usually an infection or the result of diet problems. You say your turtle is 'pretty old' and that it apparently walks around your room, neither of which tells me much.

To help clear up the eye issues, we will first look at habitat and diet- fixing these usually fixes everything.

Habitat-

Turtles like big spaces. Try to offer 10 gallons of water per inch of turtle shell length. Glass tanks this size can cost a ton, so we often use plastic storage tubs.

Keep the water warmed to about 75-80F, and use a big filter to keep the water clean. http://www.austinsturtlepage.com has a lot of good info on this.

Offer a good basking site that is dry, safe, and warmed to about 90F- usually with a basking light or warming lamp of some type.

The diet will be a little different if the turtle is under about 4" or not- this helps determine roughly how many veggies we would include.

The basic diet would start with good pellets, then be supplemented with 'fish foods', like bugs, worms, shrimp, krill, and the occasional small fish. As the turtle gets older, you add dark leafy green plants sometimes.

http://www.redearslider.com can also offer some care ideas.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: ive tried to feed him plants and small fish but my red ear slider wont eat them, is that normal? and what i mean by he walks around my room is he wont stay in his tank he broke is filter to be able to climb out of his tank, is it unhealthy for him to be walking around the house?

Answer
Plants are low in the vitamins they need, so the main food should be good pellets, worms, etc. as outlined earlier.

Walking around the house is not a normal activity for an aquatic species. It will be happier in the right tank. It could be unhealthy if it is the wrong temps, drafty, or too dry.